Uttar Pradesh MLC polls: BJP candidates win Meerut graduates and teachers constituencies; counting on elsewhere

BJP candidates Dinesh Kumar Goyal and Shri Chand Sharma have won the biennial Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council election in Meerut, an official said on Tuesday (October 27, 2026)."Both the victorious BJP candidates Dinesh Kumar Goyal (Meerut Graduates' constituency) and Shri Chand Sharma (Meerut Teachers' constituency) emerged victorious. Certificates have also been handed over to the winners," District Information Officer of Meerut, Sumit Yadav, told PTI.Counting of votes for 11 seats in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, comprising five graduate and six teacher constituencies, began at 8 a.m. on Tuesday amid tight security.Varanasi seatsIn the Varanasi Teachers' Constituency, after two rounds of counting, Samajwadi Party candidate Lal Bihari Yadav had bagged 10,958 votes, while BJP candidate Dr. Pramod Kumar Mishra had got 6,060 votes, officials of the district administration had said. Security personnel stand guard with multi-layered barricading around the counting centre ahead of MLC vote counting, in Gorakhpur | Photo Credit: ANI Counting of votes is still underway in Varanasi, and counting for the Varanasi Graduates' Constituency began on Wednesday.Counting for the Gorakhpur-Faizabad Teachers' Constituency began at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University on Tuesday, with 14 tables set up for counting ballots received from 200 booths across 17 districts.Bundling was completed and counting started at 5 p.m., with 20 bundles allotted to each table.Controversies ariseTension erupted after 675 ballot papers were reportedly found in a ballot box from booth 123 in Mau, against 623 recorded on the box and Form 16, a difference of 52 votes.Another controversy arose over an allegedly unsealed ballot box from Bankata. Independent candidate Ajay Singh said he learnt about the missing seal after the box was brought out of the strongroom.Candidates staged a protest outside the strongroom, but officials pacified them. BJP and SP candidates and their supporters remained present as counting progressed, with party workers monitoring updates from camps outside the university.Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kaustubh said a four-tier security cover surrounded the counting centre. Only authorised pass holders were allowed inside the counting centre after checks.District Magistrate Deepak Meena said adequate police personnel and magistrates had been deployed, while drinking water, ambulances and fire services were arranged for staff and agents.Gorakhpur-Faizabad Teachers' ConstituencyMeanwhile, BJP candidate Dhruv Kumar Tripathi led by a margin of 2,110 votes over his nearest rival, independent candidate Rajiv Yadav after the second round of counting for the Gorakhpur-Faizabad Teachers' Constituency.According to the latest figures, Dhruv Kumar Tripathi had secured 9,813 votes; while Rajiv Yadav polled 7,703 votes.Samajwadi Party candidate Dr Sanjayan Tripathi stood third with 6,544 votes.In Lucknow, a scuffle broke out between Samajwadi Party and BJP workers outside a counting centre (Ramabai Rally Ground) in Lucknow, a supporter of a local independent candidate told PTI Videos."We were being stopped because we are supporters of an independent candidate, while candidates from the ruling party are being deliberately allowed through without any checks. They are not being screened at all," the person said.Other constituenciesIn the Allahabad-Jhansi Graduates' Constituency, after the first round concluded late in the evening, BJP candidate Ashok Kumar Rathore led his closest rival, Dr. Mansingh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, by 984 votes.In the Bareilly-Moradabad Teachers' Constituency, at the end of the second round, BJP candidate Dr Hari Singh Dhillon had secured 10,222 votes, while Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Danish Akhtar received 1,677 votes.The counting is underway in Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, Jhansi, Bareilly and Gorakhpur, under the supervision of returning officers and election observers, an official said.Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut and Allahabad-Jhansi are the five graduate constituencies which went to polls.The six teacher constituencies are Lucknow, Agra, Varanasi, Meerut, Bareilly-Moradabad, and Gorakhpur-Faizabad.Only graduate and teacher voters were eligible to participate in the elections.Ballot papers, rather than electronic voting machines, were used for polling.The ruling BJP and the SP are the key contenders for the posts.Being held ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly Polls, the contest is being seen as a prestige issue for both parties.